Spring cleaning, room by room

The thermometer's rising, and so is your desire to get your home as fresh and clean as the spring air. To keep it manageable, approach it one room at a time, recommends David Henderson, Toronto-area franchise owner for Merry Maids; here's how David suggests you tackle each room:

The kitchen

The central room in the home, it's also the room that's most chaotic!

• Start by taking everything out of the refrigerator, freezer, cupboards, pantry and drawers, one area at a time. Wipe down the shelves, the doors and the handles. Before you put things away, go through and toss, store or give away items you're not using.

• Pull out and clean behind appliances; wipe appliance surfaces; rinse stove hood filter and clean spill trays under stove burners; clean inside the microwave and oven (including the oven drawer and burners).

• Wipe down counters, door frames, backsplash, door frames, ceiling fixtures, baseboards, vents, trash containers, phones, door handles and light switches.

• Wash windows, window coverings, throw rugs, sinks and floors.

TIP: Wash floors on your hands and knees - that way, you can easily see all the dirt and get right into corners.

The bathrooms

It's where we go to wash up, so not surprising, these rooms need the most cleaning!

• Remove all items from cupboards, medicine chests, counters and drawers and wash down empty areas. Toss any items that are old and unused and put contents back.

• Clean shower, tub, shower doors; use products that remove mould, mildew and soap scum as necessary.

• Wash towels, shower curtains, rugs and window coverings.

• Wash tiles, windows, window coverings, throw rugs.

• Wipe ceiling fixtures, door frames, baseboards, vents, trash containers, door handles and light switches.

• Scrub toilets, sinks and floors.

TIP: You will need some specialty products for cleaning, but wherever possible, go with products that are multi-functional and antibacterial.

The bedrooms and other living areas

Make sleeping and living areas clean and comfortable - and get closets ready for spring!

• Remove and wash all bedding including mattress cover and dust ruffle. Flip and rotate the mattress before putting on clean linens.

• Move in spring clothing; go through each drawer and closet and get rid of clothes that you no longer wear.

• Do a "cobweb check" in the upper corners of each room.

• Dust items on tables, dressers, etc., pictures and lamps, baseboards, door frames, window ledges and baseboards.

• Clean windows, ceiling fixtures, vents, phones, keyboards, door handles, light switches and empty trash.

• Vacuum drapes and valances; vacuum or wash floors, especially under and behind furniture and in closets.

TIP: Clean every room left to right and top to bottom so you don't miss anything!

First published in Chatelaine.com's June 2009 issue.
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